Fidget's Fountain of Ficlets
by Fidget
Summary: A bunch of little ficlets all stuck together, mostly romance and humor. NEWEST: It's nighttime. It's hot. And Bob's feeling cuddly.
1. Dot's Tattoo

**Ficlet #452 - Dot's Tattoo**   
_By Fidget_

  
**A/N:** Silly ficlet about Bob discovering Dot's little heart tattoo. Pretty silly, I'm warning you.   
  
**Thank-You's:** To Tom, Claire Hunter and Prof. Sparky for beta-reading and doing a splendific job. Death to typos and misspellings!   
  
**Rating:** Between PG and PG-13 for Bob's thoughts and general silliness (so, think I've said 'silly' enough yet?) 

* * *

Dot opened her closet with mild interest. She was so used to wearing only the few things stored in her icon, she had almost forgotten the odd little outfits shunned to the hangers and collecting dust. Emphasis on _little_.

She fingered the sleeve of her purple dress fondly, a few memories rushing back to her. After a moment, she spotted another old skirt tucked away. She pulled it out, examining it, and felt her eyebrows raise themselves. She'd only worn it once, just as a sort of joke, but it was too..._something_ to wear often. She grinned mischieviously, suddenly wondering what a certain other sprite's reaction would be...

* * *

He waited at the Diner, tapping the table impatiently. She had to show up eventually. She always did.

He was anxious to see her. Maybe he saw her every day, but it didn't matter. Dot was a substantial part of his life.

She swept in at that moment, eyes bright and as determined as ever. Her clothes were what shocked Bob, though; a tiny black skirt, white shirt and little black suspenders. It just didn't seem..._Dot_.

She smiled when she saw him, changing course to slide into the booth next to him. She did so, crossing her left leg over her right as she settled in.

"Like my outfit, huh?" she said with a sly grin, noticing how his eyes still lingered on portions other than her face. He nodded almost imperceptibly, running his gaze up her legs once more before actually greeting her. Something caught his eye.

It was a little black heart with an arrow through it, perched in plain view on the inside of her thigh. The _inside of her thigh_. This had to be new, he would have noticed something this..._suggestive, sexy, tantalizing_...un-Dot-like before. Or, it occurred to him at last, he would have if she had ever worn anything like this.

"You have a tattoo." he stated simply. Dot followed his gaze and her grin dropped.

"Oh."

Bob glanced back up at her face, now pointed at her own leg. "What do you mean, 'Oh'? You didn't know it was there?" Dot giggled a little self-consciously.

"No. I mean, no, I knew it was there, I just...forgot about it." She brushed the tip of one finger over it, evidently reminiscing about something. Seeing Bob's raised eyebrow, she added defensively, "I'm always wearing pants! I haven't had the opportunity to see it in years."

"In years? So, you never take a shower or anything?" She whapped him good-naturedly on the arm.

"I don't take notice of it anymore. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry on my account," he looked back down at her tattoo thoughtfully. "Any back story to this thing? Old boyfriend?" Dot laughed.

"No. It was something my friends convinced me to do. I was young and silly, and I was always drawing this on my leg with a pen. They told me I should get it done permanently and I listened."

Bob nodded, then grinned. "Didn't it hurt?"

Dot let out a small groan at the memory, leaning over to speak quietly to him. "Like a motherboard. Looked really funny while I waited for it to heal, too. It'll probably look funny when I'm old; actually, probably looks funny now."

Bob laughed quietly, absently touching two fingers to the heart. "Nah. I like it."

His wistful tone of voice and slightly glazed eyes made Dot burst out laughing. "I can tell!" she managed at last, and Bob snatched his hand away with a sheepish smile. After waiting a few dignity-crushing moments for Dot to stop giggling, he began to defend himself.

"Can you blame me?" he asked in mock-seriousness, prompting more snickering.

"Well," she responded with a sly grin, "Considering it's _me_ we're talking about..."

Bob threw and arm around her shoulders comfortably. "Just as modest as you should be." Dot was about to snap off come-back when she realized the true meaning of the statement and blushed.

Mouse strutted in and saved Dot from having to think up a reply. She waved to the couple, then raised her eyebrows at Dot's skirt. She sat down across from them, looking from one to the other. At last, she grinned evilly.

"Dot, honey? You may wanna uncross your legs." she said sweetly. Dot glanced down at her left side, where the slit in her skirt bared her thigh up to her hip. Blushing deeper, she uncrossed her legs and smoothed her skirt to cover more of herself.

"Actually," she said quietly, "I should get going. I'm awfully busy today." She stood up to Mouse's derisive laugh.

"When are you not busy, sugah?"

Dot smiled and rolled her eyes. She managed to take one entire step forward before Mouse cocked an eyebrow and stopped her with a question.

"Since when have you had a tattoo _there_?!" 


	2. What Conquers Who?

**What Conquers Who?**   
_by Fidget_

  
  
**A/N:** Uh, not much to say for this one. Short, crazy, skit-style. Enjoy or don't read.   
  
**Rating:** G 

* * *

_(sometime in CBHV)_

**Dot:** Bob? We need to talk.

**Bob:** I know. The longer we wait, the worse this is going to get. Dot, I'm upset by your wedding. Of course I am, but I still love you! You _know_ I forgive you and would still love to-

**Dot:** But, Bob, I...I chose...

**Bob:** I know, I know! And believe me, it hurts. But I _forgive_ you, Dot. And-

**Dot:** Bob?

**Bob:** -love you.

**Dot:** _Bob!_ I have something to tell you! I chose-

_(suddenly, Glitch whirrs and flies on to Dot's wrist. Bob stares, dumbfounded, as Dot smiles fondly at the keytool. She looks back at Bob sadly)_

**Dot:** I choose Glitch.

**Bob:** But...Glitch...He's a...

**Dot:** A keytool, yes. But a far better person than anyone else here. He's the only one who checked at all on the identity of the other Bob. He's the only one who has the ability to do anything about Megabyte now.

**Glitch:** *beep! whiiirr...tick-tick! wobble!*

**Dot:** And he has such a sexy voice...

**Bob:** But...but...I love you! Love conquers all!

**Dot:** Sorry, Bob. This is S4. Love and friendship aen't worth spam anymore. Come on, Glitch.

_(she walks away, leaving crushed and confused Bob behind. He waits silently a moment before shrieking)_

**Bob:** GLITCH! HOW _COULD_ YOU?!


	3. Nameless Ficlet-Thing

**Nameless Ficlet-Thing**   
_A.K.A. "It's Very Hot Outside"_   
_By Fidget_

**A/N:** Yes, another extremely short ficlet about Bob and Dot. So I'm a little bit unoriginal! What are _you_ going to do about it?

**Disclaimer:** I still don't claim to own this universe or its characters. Please look elsewhere (namely Mainframe Entertainment) for the creators. The lucky devils.

**Rating/Reason:** Uh, PG, because...(silence)

* * *

A blue hand slid into the freezer and searched for a moment with a crunching sound. It withdrew triumphantly and closed around its treasure.

The owner of the hand strutted casually down the hall, arms swinging slightly, towards the bedroom. The steady _ticker-ticker-ticker_ of typing floated from the doorway at the end of the hall.

He crossed the threshold and surveyed the situation. The typist was leaning in on a small datapad, eyes never leaving the screen and fingers flying gracefully over the keys. You had to admire her typing skills; where most of the keys showed wear and the letters were barely visible, the backspace button remained in shining perfection.

He started forward once again, watching the back of her head in terrible suspense. But the tiniest noise could give it away, so he suppressed his laughing until what he knew would be fantastic.

Leaning over, he set his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them a little. She made a small, nondescript noise in response and he took that as a good signal. However, she gave no more evidence that she had noticed his presence, and he tugged on the neck of her shirt playfully. When she still ignored him, he ran his thumbs along the hem of her neckline, going all the way from the back to the front. As he pulled out the v-neck of the white blouse, something fell from his palm and down the front.

Her reaction was instantaneous. Up she jumped with a shriek, hitting his jaw with her shoulder in the process and obstructing his snickering for the moment. She gathered the material at the bottom hem and tugged it out. A little ice cube hit the floor in front of her.

She whirled around on her heel and glared at her assailant, who merely stood laughing at her.

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself." she said sharply. "I've got a spot on the front of my shirt now, and there's an ice-cube on the floor."

Bob was incapacitated by snickering at the moment and found it necessary to lean on his knees. Dot pouted more. She dipped down quickly and snatched up the ice cube. As soon as her lover looked up at her, she flung it at him. The uncouth missile spiraled away and slipped straight down the collar of his uniform. He stopped laughing and yelped, trying unsuccessfully to get his hand down the front of his suit, the to tip the ice-cube out the way it had come. After several amusing moments, he rushed away to the bathroom to strip down and remove it. Dot sat down on the bed, laughing.

He returned a moment later, sporting a dark spot on the stomach of his uniform. Dot cracked up again and pointed to it.

"Yes, thank you, I noticed." he said sarcastically. She looked almost in pain with laughter, eventually flopping backwards on the bed to lie and giggle. Bob watched her with a frown threatening to turn into a smile.

"Yeah, it's really funny. Keep laughing, I've got a never-ending supply of ice cubes. Some of them are stuck together to make a big one, even."

Dot sat up. "But it's my refrigerator! I own the entire artillery!"

Bob rolled his eyes. "If you're going to get technical like that, it's my apartment. I own the battlefield! Doesn't that give me an advantage?"

"Just watch yourself when you're at the diner next. There's a walk-in freezer over there." Dot replied with another small giggle.

"Yeah? I wonder how long it'll take you to get over there." And he produced the remains of the ice cube, by now very small and drippy, and ran at her with a predatory grin.

With a shriek from his prey, the war was on.

* * *

**The Last Word:** Review it. Now! 


	4. What's the Word?

**What's the Word?**   
_By Fidget_

  
  
**A/N:** Not really a lot to say about this one. The spelling is odd, and you'll know what I'm trying to get across in that if you've seen the episode.   
  
**Rating:** G 

* * *

_(Setting: Sacrifice. Everybody watches, horrified, as the very last grain of sand falls through Daemon's hourglass and she snaps into pre-programmed mode)_

**Daemon:**_ I am Daemon. I am not an entity, I am a time. My time ez now. And ze wehrd...is Carhon._

**Bob:** _(weakly)_ No...not a...Cron Virus!

_(There is a pause in which Daemon spreads her arms and dissipates into green sparks. That's the plan, anyway...)_

**Daemon:** _(opens her eyes and blinks)_ And...ze wehrd...is _Cghrahn!_

_(Nothing happens. The Good Guys stand and look confused as Daemon, much confused herself, drops the godlike posture and glances at her hourglass, which is glowing brightly and beginning to hum)_

**Daemon:** Ze wehrd...is...Carahn?

_(Suddenly, in a childlike fit, Daemon rips her necklace off and throws it on the ground. It explodes in a gunpowder burst of green and the binomes stop counting)_

**Male Binome:** I say!

**Female Binome:** Jolly good!

_(Daemon sits down on the ground hard and buries her face in her hands)_

**Daemon:**_(sobbing)_ I knew I should have paid more attention in training!

**Dot:** Uh...Bob? Does this mean she's...benign?

**Bob:** _(still weak and confused)_ I...guess.

**Hex:** Crash _this_! 

_(Hex snatches up Daemon and throws the girl over her shoulder. She gestures at Jelly Welly, who moves forward with jitters and jerks)_

**Jelly Welly:** She...is...controlling me!

_(He pushes the button. Hex leaps through with Daemon, wild cackling from the former and a high-pitched shriek from the latter are the last things heard from them. There is a pause as all parties present let the past few moments soak in)_

**Matrix:** Well, then...

**AndrAIa:** I guess that's that.

**Dot:** _(brightly)_ Anybody for an energy shake?

**Everybody else:** Oo, yes!

_(They head off to get refreshments, Dot still holding Bob up over her shoulders. The remains of Jelly Welly squiggle and screech on the platform near the gateway command. And so ends another romp through Fidget's mind)_


	5. Summer Night Woes

**A/N:** I wrote this in very much the same setting. Granted, I was missing the vital component of Bob, but everything else is the same. Because, you understand, I'm a loser and the way I deal with minor discomforts is putting a ReBoot character in them. Fun.   
  
  
**Summary:** It's nighttime. It's hot. And Bob's feeling cuddly.   
  
  
**Rating:** G 

* * *

Dot lay very still. She could see the alarm clock easily from her position on the bed, glaring at her with overly bright green digital numbers. 12:18 was what it read. The little dot of light in one corner indication pm was not lit.

In the clock's garish glow, she could make out Bob's shoulder, chest and arm. The arm and it's partner were wrapped around her waist in the bared space between her sports bra and boxer shorts, holding her tightly to his chest.

They had curled up together like this earlier in the evening, exchanging soft words and kisses until they fell to sleep. Or at least, until Bob fell to sleep, something Dot still had not managed to do. After some consideration, one exclusive reason had been discovered.

It was miserably hot.

Dot tried not to shift too much and wake her slumbering partner. If she lay still, perhaps it wouldn't be so hot. Her muscles grew tense from holding her rigid. A miniscule amount of sweat covered her body, making her feel sticky and uncomfortable. The ceiling fan clanked and tapped where the glass orb over the lightbulbs was too loose.

She lay awkwardly in her lover's embrace, wishing he weren't so warm. If it weren't for Bob's being woken up, she could peel his arms away from her, roll to the side, and kick off the blankets. The blankets. Why had she pulled them up in the first place? They were light, only sheets and a bedspread, but the bedspread held heat far better than she had expected.

Desperately, she blew her breath on to her own arm to move the air, something the fan was failing to do. This was ridiculous. She had to just move and make herself more comfortable. She'd never sleep like this.

She had one leg flung over both of his. Carefully, cautiously, she lifted it a minute amount. Not too much or she would let a rush of cold air into the blankets and shock him awake. _Not that I wouldn't appreciate the cool air,_ she thought, but all the same, she moved her leg painstakingly slow until it reached matress. Ah, cool, fresh matress. She took a deep breath and let it out, glad for even that small comfort.

Encouraged by the cool of the sheets and Bob's soft snores, she picked up her arm and, using the same slow, smooth movement, removed it from his chest.

The next part would be a bit harder. He still had her imprisoned in his arms. She felt guilty at wanting to pull away from him, but physical comfort overruled her sentiment as a wave of heat-induced nausea swept over her momentarily. She reached up with her only recently freed hand and gingerly lifted one of his. She began to move it to one side.

Bob snorted and his hand wrapped around hers.

She blinked. And blinked again. After a nano of panic, she grasped his hand softly and moved it away, unbending his elbow and laying his hand on the bed behind her. He breathed deeply, turned his head a bit, and began to snore quietly again.

Dot breathed a sigh of relief. She was halfway there. Leaning her weight on to her free elbow, she reached down and clasped his other hand, careful not to squeeze too tightly, and stretched to place it on his opposite side. Then, she sighed comfortably and lay down on her own side of the bed.

And leapt back up. There was something in the way.

_His hand!_ The arm she had originally unwrapped was laying stretched out straight across the bed. Invading her space.

The frustration and lack of sleep culminated in one high-pitched, desperate noise that escaped through her clenched teeth. She dug her nails into the sheets and raked them backward, finding this action the best available outlet for emotions. After a moment, she took a soothing breath and let it out slowly. _You're acting like a child,_ she berrated herself. _Just move his arm like you did before._

She slid her fingertips under the back of his hand and lifted. He breathed deeply and shifted, making her freeze ans stare hard at his face, searching for any signs of awakening. He slipped peacfully into slumber again, and she let out her breath in a controlled sigh.

Still determined to have her entire half of the bed, she put her palm flat against the side of his wrist and pushed, sliding it in an arc along the sheets and back to his side. As it neared its final destination, she grinned manicly into the darkness, half insane with exhaustion. She pulled her hand away triumphantly and slid down on the coverless half of the bed and sprawled, closing her eyes in relief at the cool air washing over her.

Bob mumbled a few nondescript syllables and rolled over on to his side, facing her. Her lips curled downward sharply as his hot breath blew over her face._ Bob, I love you..._ she thought as she she wriggled away again, growing dangerously close to the edge. _But your morning breath is enough to drive me away even in this sweet of a setting._

She pulled up a corner of the sheet and propped it up between herself and her Guardian's mouth, trying to block the onslaught of pungent warmth. Nothing could stop her from getting sleep now. She was a woman on a mission.

"Just stay outta my way." she whispered, and closed her eyes with a final determination. Sleep claimed the exhausted sprite shortly after.

***

Dot awoke with a headache, somehting that never struck her as fair. The sun streamed through her window, which would have been a beautiful morning greeting if not for the beam striking her across the eyes. She groan and rolled over to face away from the window. Her stomach leapt, her eyes snapped open and she flung her arms out to catch something as she rolled straight off the side of the bed.

She hit the floor ungracefully on hands and knees, and a frusterated shriek escaped her. _I'm tired, I'm achey, I've got an entire day of work in front of me...I don't need this!_

She heard footsteps and turned her head towards the door. Bob peeked in. "Dot, honey? You okay? I heard a thump and..."

He stuttered to a halt at the look she gave him. Her glare pinned him to the spot with a puzzled and hurt expression. "What's wrong?"

Dot gave him a withering stare. This was his fault. All of it.

"Get me java." She ordered, wasting no words and noticing that her voice was still raspy with sleep. The effect of the situation, posture, glare and voice on the poor, lost Guardian was that of a satanic creature possessing his love. He nodded fervently and rushed out of the room at the quickest pace he could, not to seem too eager to leave. He feared the wrath of the demon on the bedroom floor.

Dot crawled halfway down the hall, then stood and tried to regain her dignity. The warm, thick, sweet smell of the java swept over her, possibly the first enjoyable thing to happen all morning, and gave her renewed strength. Bob watched her enter the kitchen with a concerned and slightly frightened look on his face.

The silence as she sipped her java became unbearable for the Guardian. After a few moments, he smiled and started, "Boy, it was sure hot last night, huh?"

Dot's gaze switched from the far wall directly in front of her to Bob. She set her java down again and blinked before replying. "Yes. It was."

The answer was somewhat unsatisfactory, so Bob decided to try a joke. "It would have been way cooler if you'd have stopped clutching to me."

Dot's eyes grew wide and she clenched her fists. "_Me?!_ Cling to _you?!_"

Immediately sensing his tactical error, Bob attempted to ammend the statement. "Hey, I appreciated it and everything...I don't mean that you were being clingy or anything..."

A shrill, morning-crackling voice cut him off. "_Me clinging to you?!_ I tried to sleep for cycles, Bob, _cycles!_ But you were holding me! I didn't want to wake _you_ up, so I was moving you _so carefully!_"

Bob listened to her squeaking protests with a half-smile. "Uh-uh, Dot. I think I'd remember what happened. I was there, after all."

His grin infuriated her. She flung her placemat at him for lack of any better projectiles. "_Bob!_ It was _hot_ and _miserable!_ And I was thinking of your feelings! See if I ever do _that_ again!"

Bob was amuused by her overreaction. "Sure. And I suppose I snore, too."

Dot growled through her teeth in undue anger. She needed sleep.


End file.
